Derek Mathers
Lead Pastor and Team Leader
Derek is passionate about being a disciple of Jesus who makes disciples who can make disciples, in every area of his life. When he’s not doing that his never give up enthusiasm reveals itself by rooting for the Blue Jays. The guy everyone goes to with computer questions, Derek also likes science fiction (Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett), Strat-O-Matic baseball and working at his cabin. Derek has been at St. Luke’s for more than ten years and he’s also pastored in Saskatchewan, Beamsville and Mitchell. Born in Edmonton, he grew up in Minnesota and Okinawa but came back to Canada to go to Brock where he met and married Deb. They have two daughters and one granddaughter. Derek loves to do lunch and if it’s at Duff’s, you’ll make his day.
Brian Ingram
Office, Website
Brian hales from Arnold’s Cove in Newfoundland. He’s studied at Memorial University in St. John’s and Wycliffe College in Toronto. Brian loves books and music, in fact his books are threatening to take over his home. He is inspired by Dostoyevsky, challenged by Samantha Powers, and invited to dream by Shakespeare and John Ortberg. Married to Cathy, they have one daughter. He works part-time at St. Luke’s managing everything office related which casts a very wide net.
Jeff Kunsman
live Love
Vicar Jeff is our live Love specialist and a Specific Ministry Pastoral Program student. Building bridges into our community is his area of responsibility at St. Luke’s and if anyone knows how to do that it’s Jeff. A retired shop teacher of Grade 7 and 8 students in the public school system, he’s a man of many talents. Jeff was born in Pittsburgh, Barb is his significant other and they have two sons. He likes outdoor activities, camping, bicycling and sports. In fact, he’s more optimistic than Derek because along with the Blue Jays he also roots for the Argos. If the barbecue is on, chances are Jeff’s the chef.
Linda Farquharson
walk with friends
Linda has an innate talent for troubleshooting computer systems in the banking industry and she’s also the person you want to see for all matters related to communication and growth of the people of St. Luke’s. When she’s not working or building up St. Luke’s community she loves to paint, quilt, sew and bike. Born in Montreal, Linda has lived In Toronto for most of her adult life and she’s married to Ian. If you get the chance, ask her about her two beautiful Irish Setters, Hunter and Darby.
Wendy McCowan
meet God
Wendy, our UP specialist, was born in Kitchener. Working in the insurance industry by day, Wendy’s our worship guru, overseeing the many participants and components that go into services and spiritual growth opportunities. A born leader, Wendy’s the person you want at any meeting you go to because she makes sure we finish on time. She loves golfing and travelling and she helps raise funds for the Starlight Children’s Foundation which grants wishes for seriously ill children.
Dusan Toth
Pastor
Dusan is our Slovak worship pastor. Dr. Dusan was born in Modra, Slovakia, and has pastored in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Toronto. He’s an inveterate traveller and evangelist, bringing the good news to eastern and central European churches as well as Canadians. Married to Valeria, they have a son and daughter and two grandchildren. Dusan loves the theatre, reading, films and sports. An actor when he first started out, when Dusan arrived in Canada he often got called by CBC radio producers to play the parts of foreigners with heavy accents.
Lumembo Tshiswaka
Pastor St. Luke French Fellowship
Lumembo is assistant pastor at St. Luke’s and he works as Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for Etablissement.org, a website dedicated to Francophone newcomers to Ontario. Born in the Congo(formerly Zaire), Lumembo is married to Agnes Kalangu Lumembo and they have six children. They lived in Jamaica for six years and relocated to Canada in 2002. Lumembo loves reading and writing and he is a mult-linguist who speaks French, English, Spanish, Swahili, Tshiluba and Lingala. Parlez-vous francais? Say “Bonjour” to Lumembo who is developing a multiethnic ministry at St. Luke’s.
Alice (Hsiang-Yi) Kuo
ESL Friendship
Deaconess Alice (Hsiang-Yi) was born in Taiwan and has lived in Edmonton, St. Catharines and Hamilton. She has a Masters degree in Education from Brock University and a Director of Parish Services certificate from Concordia Seminary in St. Catharines. Alice is active in education and ESL activities at St. Luke’s including Asian tea, Bible study and language classes. She loves watching TV and movies as well as reading, travelling and hiking. Alice loves dogs and if you get the chance, ask her about her dogs back home and her pet hamster. For more info about ESL activities please email esl@stluketoronto.com
David Burnett
Administrator
David is a man of many talents, not the least of which is running his Network communications company. David puts his skills to good work looking after St. Luke’s financial and property concerns. Born and raised in Toronto, David enjoys an active life that includes skiing, golfing, water skiing, canoeing and chess with a little music thrown in for good measure. Married to his high school sweetheart, Susan, they have four daughters and five grandchildren.
Sig Rannem
Technology
Sig is an electrical engineer and the man who looks after all things technical at St. Luke’s. Born in Oslo, Norway, he has also lived in Vermont, Scotland and Toronto. He loves videography, photography, genealogy, cross-country skiing and canoeing. Married to flutist Peg Albrecht, they have two daughters.
Ruta Roumbanis
Minister of Music
Ruta is Toronto born and bred and music lover from a young age. She has a Bachelor of Music in Performance degree from the University of Toronto and she’s travelled across Canada and the Us participating in organ recitals. Additionally, she is an elementary school teacher. Ruta loves playing the grand piano at St. Luke’s and leading not only traditional worship music but the Praise Group as well. She encourages instrumentalists of all kinds to participate in worship. Married to Dan, they have two boys and two cats. Ruta is a gardener and home decorator and she enjoys travelling and visiting the cottage. She is gifted at drawing out musical talent so whatever your ability, Ruta’s the one to contact.
Darioush Bahrami
OUT Staff – Elder of St. Luke’s Persian Fellowship
Darioush was born in the city of Tehran in Iran. His move to Ontario, Canada involved a one-year stay in Turkey. Together with his wife, Maryem, they have two adult daughters. Darioush has two hobbies. The first, more of a burning passion, is to serve our Father God and Jesus. The second is drawing. A building contractor, he really wants to be involved with God in building his kingdom. Darioush desires as well to be a good husband, a good father, and to be a good brother to other followers of Jesus.
Erick Mchome
IN – Staff
Erick grew up in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa, with an older brother and a younger sister. Erick is a soccer fan and player from childhood who moved to Canada for educational opportunities. He tries to live his life in thankfulness to God for the strength and power that God provides. A graduate of a business administration and management program, he now works as an accountant officer. Erick likes to volunteer and give to others, feeling it is important to care and treat one another the way we want to be treated. He feels the world will be a better place for everyone if we all do this.
Andrew Black
Member of Board of Trustees
When asked about starting a family Andrew answers, “working on it,” with his wife, Julia. Andrew is working on many things as a self-employed building contractor in the GTA. Having lived most of his life in the Toronto area, he completed some of his education in Australia. His interests are snowboarding and wakeboarding. Andrew brings fresh eyes to our mission together allowing us to see new directions as we seek to be involved in what God is doing in our world.
Rosemary Lorenz
Member of Board of Trustees
Rosemary was born in Germany and has lived in Canada since 1962. She is a retired businessperson and now spends much of her time with her husband, Ron, and her three wonderful grandchildren. She is very much a hands-on person with a great joy for gardening, hiking, yoga and reading. Rosemary brings to our board an awareness of others and their needs so we can keep them in mind as we follow where God is leading us.
Ed Rohacek
Member of Board of Trustees; Board Spokesperson
Ed is a homegrown Torontonian. Having been involved in leadership throughout St. Luke’s history, he appreciates different pastoral styles and the focus each has brought to our congregation’s life. Ed continues to be involved in such things as hockey, skiing, singing (choirs), gardening and golf and he celebrates watching his grandchildren grow. He also serves on the Professional Engineers of Ontario committee and he is a member of the Golden Kiwanians. Ed brings a sense of wholeness to our board.
Jim Thielen
Member of the Board of Trustees
Jim was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His gifts in executive level leadership has provided opportunity for him to live in many parts of the United States and the world. One of the most exciting places was Mexico City, Mexico. Jim and his wife, Tricia, have two sons of whom they are very proud. He loves spending time with his sons and does so as often as possible, pitching batting practice for them and riding bikes with them. Jim is excited about participating on the Board of Trustees and sees it as a special opportunity to make a contribution to the church and members of our congregation. Jim’s gift to the board is an ability to hold the bigger picture before us.
Douglas Thomson
Member of the Board of Trustees
Douglas will share that he has lived most of his life in Toronto, with short work-related stays in Ottawa and Halifax. He is editor of Canadian Home Workshop magazine and he and his wife, Roberta, have one son. He finds skiing, cycling, and jogging renewing and relaxing and so they are a regular part of his weekly routine. Douglas also spends his spare time doing small renovation projects and maintaining their rental apartments. Besides bringing his leadership skills to our Board, he also volunteers with his neighbourhood ratepayers group and the National Magazine Awards Foundation.
Marcelina (Marcy) Abnasan
OUT Staff
Marcelina (Marcy) grew up in a Christian family (Lutheran). Born in Bauko, Mt. Province, Philippines, she works as a live-in caregiver. Marcy is married but her husband is still in the Philippines. She likes watching the news, reading and listening to Christian country music in her free time and gathering with other followers of Jesus for Bible study and social gatherings. In the Philippines, she was one of the leaders of a youth group in her congregation. She has also lived in Hong Kong and while there she guided the Filipino Prayer Share and Care Group(FPSC ) Ministry. Her favourite Bible verse is Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Kalangu (Agnes) Tshiswaka
OUT Staff; St. Luke French Fellowship
Kalangu (Anges) was born in Kananga, a city in the middle of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the Western Kasai province. Anges moved around the DRC living in such cities as Kananga, Kinshasa, Mbuji-Mayi, Kipushi, and Kindu before moving to Kingston, Jamaica. She and her family have been living in Toronto since 2002. Married to Pastor Lumembo for 32 years, they have six children and three grandchildren. Agnes likes to read magazines and cookbooks and she enjoys singing and listening to Christian music. As a singer in choirs from the age of 11, Agnes is currently writing songs as well as working on recipe books on African cuisine. Her confession is a strong trust in God and knowing his love in her heart. She is seeking God’s leading to develop a counselling ministry with the young women of our community.